Detroit Free Press Endorsements: The best choices in contested state House districts

October 14, 2012

The vast majority of next year's members of the Michigan House of Representatives were chosen in the August primary in districts that were redrawn this year and for the most part lean heavily toward one party or the other. The Free Press' endorsements in the Nov. 6 election place an emphasis on retaining incumbents, whose experience matters even more in this era of term limits. We also offer a deeper look at a handful of districts that feature competitive races, open seats where no primary was held, or other considerations.

Wayne County

The county is heavily Democratic. In Detroit, Democrats will surely win. We endorse, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, incumbent Democratic Reps. ALBERTA TINSLEY TALABI, District 2; JOHN OLUMBA, District 3; FRED DURHAL, JR.,District 5; RASHIDA TLAIB, District 6; THOMAS STALLWORTH III, District 7; DAVID E. NATHAN, District 8, and HARVEY SANTANA, District 9.

We also endorse incumbent Republican Reps. JOHN J. WALSH, District 19, and KURT HEISE, District 20.

 District 16 (Westland and Wayne): This seat has opened up as term-limited Rep. Richard LeBlanc exits. The heir apparent in this heavily Democratic district is ROBERT L. KOSOWSKI, 48, of Westland, who has served for years as the city's parks and recreation director. Kosowski is focused on local issues such as revenue sharing and public safety, but he is also interested in ensuring that military veterans get appropriate attention and care. His opponent, Republican Mary Stargell, also of Westland, did not respond to Free Press inquiries.

 District 23 (Huron, Woodhaven, Trenton, Brownstown, Gibraltar and Grosse Ile): Incumbent Rep. Pat Somerville, R-New Boston, reflects a far more conservative bent than this district would indicate, especially with Trenton drawn into the constituency this year. Fortunately, voters have a solid alternative in Democrat TOM BORITZKI, 63, a former Trenton mayor and councilman, who is running in particular to protest changes that increased taxes on pensions and cut school district funding to offer business a major tax break. The retired Ford millwright, who has experience representing skilled trades in auto talks, also has an interest in getting to the bottom of Michigan's high auto insurance rates.

 District 25 (eastern Sterling Heights, part of Warren): In what appears to be a spirited race for an open seat, Republican Sean Clark, 31, of Warren is a sales manager who comes across as pragmatic and well-informed. He is duking it out with Democrat Henry Yanez, 55, of Sterling Heights, a firefighter with traditional Democratic views on the economy, public education and infrastructure investment. SEAN CLARK sounds like a Republican in Gov. Rick Snyder's vein, searching primarily for effective solutions, and that makes him the better candidate in this almost evenly split district.

 District 30 (Utica, southeast Shelby Township, western Sterling Heights): This district, once touted as a potential swing district, presumably will stay in the Republican column, and that's a good thing, as incumbent Republican Rep. JEFF FARRINGTON of Utica has proved himself capable and effective, conservative but not rigid. His Democratic opponent is Joseph Bogdan, 25, of Utica, who has an intriguing platform but needs more experience.

 District 39 (Commerce, Wixom, part of West Bloomfield): This open seat led to hard-fought primaries on both sides of the ballot, setting the stage for a general election face-off between Democrat Pam Jackson and Republican Klint Kesto.

Kesto, 30, of Commerce Township is an assistant prosecutor in Wayne County whose primary focus is community safety, including mandatory penalties for habitual offenders. Jackson, 57, also of Commerce Township, is a professor at Oakland Community College with a broader outlook that encompasses job creation and education.

Neither has held elective office, but Jackson has a range of civic activities on her resume and a better grasp of the complexities on many issues. The endorsement goes to PAM JACKSON.

 District 41 (Troy, Clawson): This open seat should be a guaranteed Republican win, but Republican primary survivor and former City Councilman Martin Howrylak, 37, is about as conservative as they come, promoting elimination of both the corporate and personal income tax, along with tax credits for parents whose children attend private school or home school.

On the Democratic side of the ballot is MARY KERWIN, 58, who has served on both the City Council and the school board and also has significant community service in other arenas to her credit. She appears willing to work across the aisle in order to stave off paralysis in Lansing, and her local government experience gives her a strong background to fight for the district in Lansing.

 District 45 (Rochester and Rochester Hills): Democratic challenger JOANNA VanRAAPHORST of Rochester probably cannot overcome incumbent Republican Rep. Tom McMillin in this heavily GOP district. But she deserves a good look for her effort to disassociate the district from the divisive rhetoric that often flows out of McMillin's mouth. She is a moderate Democratic with a deep interest in keeping schools strong, and has a wealth of volunteer and civic activities on her résumé.